Boris Johnson threatens to block HS2 without more changes

Boris Johnson is threatening to frustrate plans for the controversial high
speed rail link between London and the north of England.

Sir Peter Hendy, Boris Johnson's transport chief, said the Mayor’s demands must be met before the HS2 Hybrid Bill, which will enshrine the plans in law, goes to Parliament by the end of the year.Photo: SUZANNE PLUNKETT/REUTERS

Sir Peter Hendy, the head of Transport for London, accused HS2 chiefs of “bodging” a key part of the high-speed rail link.

He also warned that the Mayor would not back the project unless they agree to radical changes to the beginning of the route in London.

Specifically he called for a £500million link between its current terminus in north-west London and St Pancras continental services to be put on hold.

He is calling for a new rail station costing up to £400million near Willesden, and more tunnelling for some of the over-ground sections in London.

The intervention comes just as Patrick McLoughlin, the transport secretary, said he was keen to speed up the scheme, which is currently estimated to cost £50billion and will link London to Birmingham and cities in the north of England.

Sir Peter said the Mayor’s demands must be met before the HS2 Hybrid Bill, which will enshrine the plans in law, goes to Parliament by the end of the year.

He said: “These are big issues on which the Mayor needs to be satisfied with the Government and without that satisfaction then it’s not a good project for London.

“You can’t look at HS2 in isolation because it will have a dramatic effect on London as the population is booming.

“We are trying to get HS2 to realise that there is a broader package of infrastructure needed.

“HS2 are being very attentive but there’s the implied threat that if they don’t meet those conditions then the Mayor might not support it.”

The news came as Mr Johnson said in an interview that he wanted to be an MP again, further fuelling speculation about his ambitions in Westminster.

The Mayor of London said he would have loved to have been able to contribute to the Commons debate on whether Britain should intervene militarily in Syria.

In an interview with FT Magazine, published in full on Saturday, Mr Johnson said: "During the whole Syria thing, for the first time in years, I wished I was in Parliament. I watched that and I thought ... I wished, I wished."

Mr Johnson, who will make a high profile visit to next week’s Tory party conference, also said that the Tories had to be bolder at stealing ideas from Labour if they were shown to work, such as over free school meals. He said: “That’s the name of the game.”

He also gave his own tip on winning the 2015 general election, saying: “The Conservatives will win if we remember the achievements of pre-war governments in the 1930s when huge numbers of homes were built.

“I want a Government that will actively support the house-building industry, that’s going to be pro-development, that isn’t going to start mucking about with the planning system, that isn’t going to impose unworkable new taxes like a mansion tax.”

The London Mayor also suggested that he was once courted by Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party, about joining the Euro-sceptic party over a “convivial” pint.

Mr Farage later confirmed that the pair had met for lunch on a couple of occasions before 2008 when Mr Johnson was MP for Henley.

Mr Farage said he set out Ukip’s policies on Europe and other areas, but he never directly asked Mr Johnson if he would have liked to join Ukip.